List of world number one snooker players

Judd Trump is the current world number one.

The sport of snooker has utilised a world rankings system since 1975, used to seed players on the World Snooker Tour for tournaments. Originally, rankings were published once a year at the conclusion of a season. Since 2010, however, the rankings were changed so that they would be updated after every ranking tournament.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The number one ranking has been held by twelve players; Ray Reardon was the first to hold the position, and was followed by Cliff Thorburn, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui and Mark Allen.

Hendry held the number one position for the longest time under the annual format, holding it for nine years in total. Since it changed to a rolling format in 2010, Selby has held the rank longer than anyone else.

History

Stephen Hendry ended the season ranked at number one on nine occasions; more season finishes in the top spot than any other player.

The sport of professional snooker first adopted a ranking system for the 1975–76 season, which saw Ray Reardon ranked in the top position. An Order of Merit was published in the 1975/76 season to determine the seedings for events, and the first set of official rankings the following year used the same criteria.<ref name="Turner (historical rankings)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="wpbs_Rank"/> Certain events carried ranking points, and at the end of the season, they were tallied. The World Snooker Championship originally was the only event to offer ranking points, until the 1982 International Open.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Over the next 22 seasons, five men held the first position; Reardon (1976/77 to 1980/81), Cliff Thorburn (1981/82), Reardon again for 1982/83<ref group="note" name="higgins">Alex Higgins would have been ranked number one in the 1982–83 season, but had ranking points deducted as a result of disciplinary action after assaulting a press officer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref></ref>, Steve Davis (1983/84 to 1989/90) and Stephen Hendry (1990/91 to 1997/98). From 1998/99 to 2009/10, the title was shared by Ronnie O'Sullivan (five seasons), John Higgins (three seasons) and Mark Williams (three seasons), while Hendry regained the position for the 2006/07 season. In the first 34 years of the world rankings, only seven players held the number one position.<ref name="Turner (historical rankings)" />

For the 2010–11 snooker season, the world rankings were changed to be updated after each tournament carrying ranking points.<ref name="cutoff points">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This was altered from the 2014–15 snooker season, where ranking points were based entirely on the prize money won from qualifying events.<ref name="Hayton"> Template:Cite book </ref> Since the introduction of the new system, Higgins, Neil Robertson, Williams, Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Ding Junhui, and O'Sullivan have all attained the number one rank.<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/> Selby has also seven seasons ranked in first place, putting him in joint third place overall with Reardon and Davis, O'Sullivan is in second with (eight times) and behind Hendry (nine times).<ref name="wpbs_Rank">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of players

Hendry holds the record for most seasons at number one under the traditional system, with nine seasons (1990/1991–1997/1998 and again in 2006–07). His first spell of eight consecutive seasons in this position is also a record.<ref name="Snooker.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Under the rolling ranking format, Mark Selby holds both the total and consecutive records.<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>

Periods

The snooker players ranked number one in the world are listed below for each period since the introduction of the ranking system.<ref name="Turner (number ones)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Number one players

No.	Nationality	Player	From	To	Template:Abbr
Template:Sort	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:CAN	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/><ref group=note name=higgins/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (3)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname (3)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:AUS	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Robertson to No.1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname (4)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Higgins No.1 after 2010 UK Championship">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname (3)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
10	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Trump to No.1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Selby No.1 after 2012 UK Championship">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Trump No.1 after 2013 Welsh Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (3)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2013 China Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:AUS	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2013 Bulgarian Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (4)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:AUS	Template:Sortname (3)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2014 Australian Goldfields Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (5)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2014 Riga Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
11	Template:CHN	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2014 UK Championship">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:AUS	Template:Sortname (4)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2014 Lisbon Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:CHN	Template:Sortname (2)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2014 Xuzhou Open">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (6)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="Rankings after 2015 German Masters">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (4)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (3)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (7)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (4)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (8)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (5)	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
12	Template:NIR	Template:Sortname	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Template:Sort	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (5)	Template:Dts	Present	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Total time spent at number one

Annual format (1975–2010)

Annual format<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>

Years	Longest consecutive period	Nationality	Player
9	8	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname
7	7	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
	6	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname
5	2	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
3	2	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname
	2	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname
1	1	Template:CAN	Template:Sortname

Rolling format (2010–present)

Rolling format<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>

Days	Longest consecutive period	Nationality	Player
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days}} †	Template:Duration in days	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:AUS	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:NIR	Template:Sortname
{{#expr:Template:Duration in days+Template:Duration in days}}	Template:Duration in days	Template:CHN	Template:Sortname

† as of Template:Date Template:Col-end

Players ranked number one at the start of the season

Per season

Seasons held<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>

Season	Nationality	Player
1975–1976	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname (1)
1976–1977	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1977–1978	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1978–1979	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1979–1980	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1980–1981	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1981–1982	Template:CAN	Template:Sortname (2)
1982–1983	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1983–1984	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (3)
1984–1985	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1985–1986	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1986–1987	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1987–1988	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1988–1989	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1989–1990	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1990–1991	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname (4)
1991–1992	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1992–1993	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1993–1994	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1994–1995	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1995–1996	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1996–1997	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1997–1998	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
1998–1999	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname (5)
1999–2000	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2000–2001	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname (6)
2001–2002	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2002–2003	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (7)
2003–2004	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2004–2005	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2005–2006	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2006–2007	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2007–2008	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2008–2009	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2009–2010	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2010–2011	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2011–2012	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2012–2013	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (8)
2013–2014	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2014–2015	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2015–2016	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2016–2017	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2017–2018	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2018–2019	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2019–2020	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2020–2021	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname (9)
2021–2022	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2022–2023	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2023–2024	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh
2024–2025	Template:NIR	Template:Sortname (10)
2025–2026	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname Template:Ntsh

Per frequency

Number of times held<ref name="wpbs_Rank"/>

Seasons	Longest consecutive period	Nationality	Player
9	8	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname
8	2	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
7	7	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
	7	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
	6	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname
4	2	Template:SCO	Template:Sortname
	2	Template:WAL	Template:Sortname
3	2	Template:ENG	Template:Sortname
1	1	Template:CAN	Template:Sortname
	1	Template:NIR	Template:Sortname

See also

• Template:Portal-inline

External links

• Ranking Records: Number One at Pro Snooker Blog
• Official list

Template:Snooker world number ones Template:Snooker lists {{#invoke:Navbox|navbox}} Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English